I can do all things through Christ
Devotional for November 2 · Philippians 4:13 · 12-minute read
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 10Now I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances. 12I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. I am accustomed to any and every situation—to being filled and being hungry, to having plenty and having need. 13I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. 14Nevertheless, you have done well to share in my affliction. 15And as you Philippians know, in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church but you partnered with me in the matter of giving and receiving. 16For even while I was in Thessalonica, you provided for my needs again and again. 17Not that I am seeking a gift, but I am looking for the fruit that may be credited to your account. 18I have all I need and more, now that I have received your gifts from Epaphroditus. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. 19And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Context
Paul writes to the Philippians while he is in chains (Php 1:13), probably in Rome, around AD 60 to 62. Philippi was a Roman colony in Macedonia, and the church there was born during his second missionary journey, with the conversion of Lydia and of a jailer (Acts 16). It was a small, generous church that had supported Paul from the beginning. Now it had sent a gift through Epaphroditus (v. 18), and part of chapter 4 is a thank-you for that help.
This detail is essential for understanding verse 13. Paul is not talking about achievements, goals or sports victories. He is explaining why he is grateful for the gift without depending on it. He has been through plenty and through hunger, and he says he has learned to be content in any situation. The Greek word translated content was used by Stoic philosophers for the self-sufficient person. Paul uses the word but changes the source: his sufficiency does not come from himself; it comes from Christ.
What the text says
- v. 11: Paul says “I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances.” Contentment was not an instant gift; it was something learned over many experiences.
- v. 12: “I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound.” The strength he speaks of is for hunger as well as for plenty; both situations have their dangers.
- v. 14: Right after verse 13, Paul says: “Nevertheless, you have done well to share in my affliction.” Christ’s strength does not make the help of brothers and sisters unnecessary.
Reflection
Few verses are used out of context as often as this one. It shows up on athletes’ shirts, in motivational quotes and in promises of success. But when we read the chapter, the question changes. Paul’s all things include going hungry, being in prison, having little and having much. The verse does not say I can get everything I want, but something deeper: I can remain faithful in any situation, because Christ sustains me.
Paul uses a strong word in verse 12. In the original he says he has learned the secret, rendered in our translation as “I am accustomed.” The Greek verb was used for someone initiated into a reserved body of knowledge. What is the secret? Not a technique, but a person. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” The strength is not a supply Paul has stockpiled, but something he receives continually, as someone who depends. In another letter, he tells how the Lord said to him that power is perfected in weakness (2 Cor 12:9). Verse 13 is a confession of dependence, not of self-sufficiency. Whoever reads the verse as a superpower ends up frustrated when they don’t win; whoever reads it as Paul wrote it discovers that it is possible to keep standing even when you don’t win.
Notice, too, that Paul does not use the verse to do without his brothers and sisters. Right after it, he thanks them for sharing in his affliction. Christ’s strength often arrives through the hands of the church: a gift, a visit, a message. Someone who is suffering does not have to prove they are strong on their own. Accepting help is also part of living by someone else’s strength.
This speaks to anyone who is worn out. Maybe you are in a season of little: little money, little health, little hope. Maybe you are in a season of much, with more responsibilities and more temptations than you can manage. The text does not promise that your situation will change. It promises that Christ can sustain you within it, so that you keep loving, obeying and being thankful. And verse 19 also has a specific audience: it was said to a church that had just given generously, and it speaks of needs, not wants.
Perhaps today’s question is not where you need to win, but where you need to keep going. Keep going in a hard marriage with faithfulness, in a job without recognition with honesty, in an illness with hope, in a season of plenty without forgetting God. That is what Christ’s strength is for. It rarely shows up as a big feeling; it usually shows up as grace that is enough for the next step, and then for the one after that.
Connections
- 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (cross-reference): Paul learns that Christ’s grace is sufficient and that His power is perfected in weakness.
- Acts 16:11-40 (cross-reference): The founding of the church in Philippi, with Lydia and the jailer, shows where Paul’s bond with these believers began.
- 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (cross-reference): Paul returns to the theme: godliness with contentment, having what we need, is great gain.
To apply
- Heart: have I been using God to get what I want, or seeking strength to be faithful where I am?
- Relationships: is there someone in affliction whose burden I could share, as the Philippians did with Paul?
- Today: identify the situation where you most need to keep going, and pray specifically for strength to be faithful in it.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are my strength, and Your grace is enough for me. I confess that I often want Your strength to carry out my own plans, and not to be faithful where You have placed me. I also confess that I find it hard to accept help. I give You the situation I am in today, with what is lacking and with what is left over. Teach me the secret of contentment. Strengthen me to keep loving, obeying and giving thanks, and use me to support those who are in affliction. Amen.
To memorize: Philippians 4:13
Today's step: In the next 24 hours, send a message of support or offer concrete help to someone who is going through a hard time.
To go deeper: read Philippians 4; Acts 16 and get to know Paul.